On Monday, Dallas-based online communities vendor Telligent announced its acquisition of Leverage Software in a move designed to bolster Telligent’s opportunity in this fiercely competitive market. The acquisition, which brings together two companies which both provide online communities solutions, follows quick on the heels of competitor Jive Software’s highly anticipated IPO last week, and highlights the need for the larger pure play vendors such as Telligent to capitalise on the interest around this market and stake out a more significant position for themselves in its future. In addition to the customer base Telligent is acquiring – Leverage Software powers over 250 communities serving more than a million users, with high profile customers including The Home Depot, Stanford University, HP and Hilton Hotels – the company has cited the Leverage team’s development expertise in SaaS-based solutions, user-centric design and mobile apps as significant factors in its decision. This appears to be a smart move for Telligent, feeding well into the company’s forward strategy, and reinforcing its position in the market. For Leverage Software customers, there is no immediate impact, with the new combined company pledging to continue their support, although in the longer term it is expected that the two community platforms will come together.